Tempest Sonata

[tempest-Sonata]

Hi

          HELP!! This sonata is not so hard but the triplet like thrills sure is.
          If u arleady played this sonata pls give some advice.
          And by the way its hard to memorize because of its fingering. Give me memorizing tips in this pls.

[BuyBuy]

I have worked on that sonata a couple of years ago, I think. It has some challenged, but it is not the hardest of Beethoven. It is one of my favorites.

By the triplets like trills, are you referring to the exposition after the introduction in the 1st movement ? Where you have a bass - treble stormy dialogue while the medium section is in triplets ?

If so, it is pretty hard to play it right without getting all confused, especially at high speeds (I had trouble too...). Here is how I played it : the triplets are played by the right hand always, and the left hand is taking care of the bass - treble melody, criss-crossing over the right hand.

Start very slow with the metronome, paying a lot of attention to your eveness in the triplets. Make sure it is relaxed. Beware of the quality of your sound : the right hand triplets should not be too loud ; the melody has to come out with power (beware when the melody is in treble : the triplets have the tendency to be louder). When you play the melody with the left hand crossing over, keep it loose and cool all the time, or your sound is going to be horrible.

Then, put it up in the metronome little by little. Do not allow yourself any kind of discontrol : eveness of the triplets (in sound and timing), coordination with the melody (the melody does not fall anywhere with the triplets, but on specific notes, so don't let it go anyhow, but make sure you play with the right note). With time, patience and control, you will get to the right speed.

Hope it helps. If you got any other question about it, let me know...

[BuyBuy]

Sorry, I read your question again, and I realize I didn't answer the part on fingering. It's not so hard to remember. I guess you refer to the introduction, with the groups of 2 notes going up and down.

Well, remember that fingering is there for the sake of playability (is that a word ?) and appropriate sound production, not for the sake of itself. So if you find any fingering that fits better than the one you might have on your score, go for it.

Now, to memorize it, you don't need a PHD : work by small sections (like 4-10 notes according to your capacity of remembering), and repeat it till you get it. Then go on to the next section. Then connect the two sections. Then go on... That's it.